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**Arionthe** · 10-31-2018, 11:27 PM

Per discord request, since I was using the least utilized normal attacks as examples, I should do Cleave instead of frenzy. So here it is, by popular demand (of 1 user).

Warrior: Cleave:
New name: Spinning Slash
Initial Attack: 300% weapon damage, targets damage dealt reduced by 10%. (slow enemy is NOT a good thing, so I ignore it here)
stack buff: 25% weapon damage, target damage dealt reduced by 4%
Max stack: 5

Spinning Slash will attack all targets around the player, not just the 150% in front of the player. Although with shockwave's ability to group targets, this benefit isn't too pronounced.
At max stack, 425% weapon damage and 30% damage reduction.

When comparing frenzy's max stack 1000% damage plus benefit to AS, I would guess that SS will out dps when targets are 3+. So this is clearly the preferred Mob skill especially when mob size is large. ideally I would like to see frenzy being objectively superior at 1-3, RS at 3-8, and SS at 9+. This clearly defines the roles each attack will play and players can then focus on maximizing the attack their build is best suited for. For example a shield warrior should go frenzy and SS, using SS mostly until they whittle the mob down to 3-4 stragglers. Dual Wield should clearly use frenzy and RS to take advantage of the bleed combo RS/SW offers plus the fact dual wield tend to go pack to pack as it lacks the defensive characteristics to tank 7+ mobs that Shield warrior can (if purposely built).

**Arionthe** · 11-01-2018, 07:01 PM

I might be the only person excited about this idea... but let me flesh it out, one class at a time. BH first, then Warrior and finally Mage.

Class BH
Normal Attack: Scattershot
Initial Attack: 7 projectiles, 70% weapon damage
Stack Buff: 10% weapon damage, Gunsmoke 8%
Max Stack: 5

Gunsmoke effect: smoke from the scattershot fills the combat area, slightly blinding targets, making their attacks more prone to miss the player, game effect: +8% bonus to Dodge Rating for 2 secs

Problem with mobile assault/scattershot player is the damage received overwhelming recovery. So in addition to make the scattershot damage ramp, reducing the incoming damage via a bonus to dodge is helpful to the playstyle.

Assault 2 Bonus: Scattershot Max Stack increases by 5!. Assault 4 Bonus: Scattershot Max Stack increase by 5 again. This maybe controversial, but let's run the numbers a bit. 12 projectiles at 70% is 840%. 7 projectiles at 220% is 1540% plus 120% bonus to dodge rating is a reasonable trade off. I realize that the charged ammo passive will be slightly less powerful with the new set bonus. But the final DPS should still slightly favor the new setup (scattershot damage doesn't really need much help as evidenced by current BH LB).

Normal Attack: Lethal Shot
Initial Attack: 800% weapon damage
Stack Buff: 5% CR, 50% CD, Target movement slowed by 5% for 2 sec.
Max Stack 5:

Motto for the sniper is to hit the target hard and kill it well before it gets into range. So the stack buff enhances the critical damage aspect of the attack. The buff can carry over to the snipe proc and snipe skill as well. Additionally slowing the target will make it easier for the BH to stay outside the range of the charging mob. Since poison ammo works off the damage that lethal shot deals, this change also empowers the poison ammo passive.

Stalker 4 bonus: Lethal Shot Max Stack increases by 5.
50% bonus to CR! and 500% CD bonus all help to make your lethal/snipe/RF that much more powerful. This is a big buff, much more significant than the 10% extra attack chance the old Stalker 4 gives.

Normal Attack: Explosive Shot
Initial attack: 300% damage, 45% chance to explode for 600% damage and small AOE
stack buff: 15% damage, 5% chance to explode, explosion damage +40%
Max stack: 5

At max level, the explosive shot hits for 375% damage, 70% chance to explode for 800%. When you add in pierce chance. Hell Yeah! Smell the napalm in the morning!

Havoc set bonus 4: Explosive shot Max Stack increases by 5! Now you are talking about 450% damage, 95% chance to explode for 1000%. Booyah! Is Havoc still underpowered now? No question the explosive shot will be the AOE killer for BH.

Class Warrior
Normal Attack: Frenzy:
Initial attack: 500% dmg
stack buff: 100% weapon dmg, 6% MS, 6%AS (which I would prefer to see 6% bonus to haste instead)
Max stack: 5.
25% chance: 2x LoH on the attack
25% chance: strike twice.

So the first hit of frenzy carries 500% weapon damage. But this damage ramps up very quick to 1000% weapon damage and 30% AS/MS as you reach its maximum potential.
The idea is the buff stack stays/refreshes only if you continuously attack (allow 1 sec kiting time) and no switching attack. If you switch attack even if for a split second, the buff stack resets to zero and you will have to ramp it up again. This encourages specialization in particular normal attacks as the max'd out frenzy dishes significantly more damage than current meta.

Plus imagine the juggernaut set 4 bonus being: Frenzy Max Stack increases by 5!. Now your frenzy can do 1500% weapon damage with 60% AS/MS bonus. That's a heck a lot more impressive than whatever the current juggernaut bonus 4 is. Opens up a whole new avenue for set bonuses and its effects in the game.

Normal Attack: Cleave:
New name: Spinning Slash
Initial Attack: 300% weapon damage, targets damage dealt reduced by 10%. (slow enemy is NOT a good thing, so I ignore it here)
stack buff: 25% weapon damage, target damage dealt reduced by 4%
Max stack: 5

Spinning Slash will attack all targets around the player, not just the 150% in front of the player. Although with shockwave's ability to group targets, this benefit isn't too pronounced.
At max stack, 425% weapon damage and 30% damage reduction.

When comparing frenzy's max stack 1000% damage plus benefit to AS, I would guess that SS will out dps when targets are 3+. So this is clearly the preferred Mob skill especially when mob size is large. ideally I would like to see frenzy being objectively superior at 1-3, RS at 3-8, and SS at 9+. This clearly defines the roles each attack will play and players can then focus on maximizing the attack their build is best suited for. For example a shield warrior should go frenzy and SS, using SS mostly until they whittle the mob down to 3-4 stragglers. Dual Wield should clearly use frenzy and RS to take advantage of the bleed combo RS/SW offers plus the fact dual wield tend to go pack to pack as it lacks the defensive characteristics to tank 7+ mobs that Shield warrior can (if purposely built). Defender 2 bonus: +5 to max SS stack. Then the maximum SS output becomes, 550% weapon damage to everything around AND 50% damage reduction. Oh yea, bring on the pain.

Normal Attack: Rendering Slash
Initial Attack: 450% weapon damage, 100% weapon damage to mobs around the target, 300% weapon damage bleed over 5secs Max 8 stacks
Stack Buff: 20% weapon damage to target, 10% weapon damage to mobs around target, bleed weapon damage +30% over 5 secs.
Max stack: 5

At max stack, 550% weapon damage to target, 150% weapon damage to mobs around and 8 stacks of 450% weapon damage over 5 secs. The bleed is basically equivalent to the current RS with buff to the direct target/mob damage. However the real benefit is if you add juggernaut set 6 bonus to be +5 Max stack RS, now you are talking about 650% target damage, 200% to mobs around, and the real kicker... 8 stacks of 600% bleed damage over 5 secs.. That's a 50% boost to the bleed stack vs current meta and empowering the shockwave finisher that much more.

The above changes should relegate the 2jug4adv set to the dustbin and have DWs run proper full Jugg sets.

Class Mage
Normal Attack: Fireball
Initial attack: 200% weapon dmg small AOE
30% burn damage + 25% chance of 100% dmg meteor -- personally I don't see this burn dmg and meteor is all that effective while using up graphic resources. I would just get rid of it or change it to the proc below.
stack buff: 20% weapon damage, 10% increase to AOE,
Max stack: 5
10% chance for affected enemies to take 100% extra damage as burn damage over 1sec (this 100% refers to the current damage of the fireball)
10% chance to summon meteor that deal 100% extra damage after 1sec (this 100% also refers to the current damage of the fireball)

So first fireball deals 200% weapon damage in a small AOE, at max stack, the fireball deals 300% weapon damage to an AOE that is 2.25X the size. Not only that, there is 10% chance to burn the enemies in that bigger AOE for 300% damage over 1sec AND 10% for a meteor for another 300% damage. Now that's a FIREBALL.

Normal Attack: Arc Lightning
Initial Attack: 185% weapon damage, 85% chance to jump, affected enemies are knocked back, receive 5% more damage for 5secs and hero haste rating increase by 5% for 5secs, max stack 5 for both.
Stack buff: 5% weapon damage, 1% more damage for 5secs, 1% haste rating for 5secs
Max stack: 5

Max stat: 210% weapon damage, 85% chance to jump, knockback, 50% more damage for 5secs and 50% haste rating bonus.

Arc lightning's damage aside, the real key is its buff to haste (thus higher LoH and signularity attack speed), and the massive damage received buff on the affected targets. This will make every utility skill mage employs that much more powerful

Normal Attack: Arcane Bolts
Initial Attack: 125% weapon damage, 6 bolts
stack buff: 5% weapon damage, 5% bonus to power for 3 secs
Max stack 5

Max stat: 150% weapon damage, still 6 bolts, but 25% bonus to power effectively makes the attack 25% more powerful which also helps with all utility skills.

Arcane 2 bonus: +5 to max AB stack. That I think is far more interesting than +4-6 more bolts. Because now you are talking about 175% weapon damage, but 50% bonus to power which mage already has oodles of. 50% damage buff to every attack is nothing to scoff at, should help arcanist set to close the gap with the apprentice set in terms of DPS. By not having that many bolts flying around should slightly reduce the lag ppl experience in using the set as well.

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